Bricktown Boogey was making more money than could ever be projected, more money than Cuboyd knew what to do with. Eddie and Sonny would run things temporarily, it would be a test to show how well they could so Cuboyd could move onto new ventures and business opportunities like the one he was on now. Cuboyd had passed a hotel a few times, never looked too busy but never too quiet. Cuboyd's driver took him round to just outside the run down hotel, the place could do with a massive tune up on the outside, it was time to see if the interior matched. Cuboyd entered the hotel through the massive front doors and was greeted at the reception with a glowing smile.

"Good evening sir, would you like to book a room or do you have one booked already?" The kind receptionist asked. 

It gave Cuboyd a good impromptu idea. He could pretend he was any regular Joe and he could stay in the hotel, that way he would see how the normal clientele are treated and be given no special treatment. 

"Good evening, yes I would like to book a room for the evening please." Cuboyd responded.

The receptionist looked at her checkboard in front of her, using the end of her pen to scan down the page for availability. Her pen nib stopped as she found a suitable room for one for the evening. The receptionist looked back up at Cuboyd and smiled once more before handing him a room key with "223" on the tag.

"Perfect, we'll get you in room 223, it's just up the staircase straight ahead of you and on the second floor. Breakfast tomorrow is served between 6-10am. If you need anything else, my name is Sarah and I'll be here all night so just let me know." The kind receptionist now known as Sarah smiled as she explained. 

Cuboyd smiled and nodded while accepting the keys. He walked out front to let his driver know he would need an overnight bag and to be collected in the morning. The driver nodded before setting off and Cuboyd walked back through the doors and made his way to his room. His first thoughts were the interior of the hotel was poor and seriously undermaintained. The staircase was worse for wear and the wallpaper of the whole place was peeling apart as though it wasn't done correctly in the first place. He arrived on the second floor while opening the door, it let off a massive creak as though the hinges had not been oiled since it was fitted but that wasn't the only thing that would creak, the floorboards were like walking on broken rafts in the middle of the ocean. One wrong planting of the foot would lead to serious injury. This as well as the thick, musky, damp smell that haunted your nose as soon as you passed in. How was this place still open? It made Cuboyd dread walking into his room. He used his room key to open the door and to his surprise the room firstly smelled and looked presentable. The bed was neatly presented and the overall cleanliness was satisfactory. He browsed the room itself and the bathroom. It was like a totally different dimension he had entered compared to the rest of the hotel, a classic case of don't judge a book by it's cover. Cuboyd heard a chap at the door which caught him by surprise a little, he answered the door to Sarah who had his overnight bag in hand. 

"Hi sir, I hope you don't mind, someone dropped this off for you and vanished into the night so I thought I would bring it up." Sarah explained. 

"Of course not, thank you for doing that Sarah. Oh by the way, before you go, who owns this place?" Cuboyd asked curiously. 

"That would be me. I started it with my husband but he passed last year so I've been trying to keep on top of things but it's been a lot to juggle." Sarah replied while fighting back a tear. "Oh look at me, I'm sorry I won't bore you with the details but please enjoy your stay tonight and if I can do anything to make it better please let me know." Sarah said, recomposing herself. 

"Thank you Sarah that means a lot. I am sorry for your loss by the way, you're doing a great job right now keeping the place going." Cuboyd heartfeltly assured her. 

Sarah smiled and nodded before heading back downstairs. It all made a little more sense now. Cuboyd closed the door and lay in his bed, which was surprisingly more comfortable than he imagined. He stared at the ceiling as he dosed off, many thoughts raced through his head but the main one was this was no longer a prospect, this was a project and Cuboyd would make sure it worked not just for him, but for Sarah too.

Cuboyd's alarm clock screamed the room down at 7:30am the next morning. He slept through the whole night, waking up in exactly the same position he feel asleep in. One of the best he's had in a long time. He hopped into the shower which had a pleasant power supply behind it so it woke him up and made him fresh for the start of the day. He dodged the loose floorboards to prevent injury while heading downstairs for breakfast, the sleep made him hungry indeed. He stepped into the dining area where he seen Sarah again, looking a little worse for wear herself. She smiled and walked towards Cuboyd.

"Good morning sir, how did you sleep last night?" Sarah said with a slightly drained tone.

"Good morning Sarah, I slept very well last night actually. Have you been awake all night and now you're having to make breakfast for everyone here?" Cuboyd enquired. 

"Yes I am indeed heh, looks like my cook has forgot to turn up for his shift..again." Sarah suspected while giving a dulcet chuckle. 

"I'll tell you what, I'll give you a hand in the kitchen to serve these lovely people here and then you and I are going to have a chat." Cuboyd insisted. 

Sarah smiled but looked confused. She went with it anyway as her and Cuboyd made their way to the kitchen and worked their way through the orders. When they were made to Sarah's satisfaction, Cuboyd would take them out to the clientele. The pair worked extremely well together and under some pressure too. Once the last of the clientele had left the dining area. Cuboyd insisted that he and Sarah cook themselves some well deserved breakfast. Cuboyd had a ham omelette with a black coffee while Sarah had toast and poached eggs with a white coffee. The pair sat and took a deep breath before tucking in to their well-earned breakfast. 

"Thank you so much sir. I don't know what to say, if it weren't for your help I'd still be running around like a headless chicken." Sarah gratefully stated, again while fighting back a tear. 

"Please, call me Cuboyd. You needed help, I could not in good conscience sit back and watch you do all that by yourself, it's just not fair." Cuboyd affirmed. "So this cook, does that happen often?"

"Yeah he comes in when he feels like it but I have no other choice, I can't afford to hire new people, hell I can't even afford to keep the place maintained. I sure miss him a lot, he would have never let the place slide like this. It was his dream and I feel like I'm letting him down every day." Sarah began to bubble while speaking. 

Cuboyd felt bad, his plans for a takeover had gradually faded. But his plans for a partnership had grown. Just as Cuboyd was about to comfort Sarah, the door of the dining area burst open and in walked what looked to be the cook, accompanied by half smoked cigarette in his mouth and a bottle of whiskey in his hand which had a few drubs left in it. 

"Ryan where the fuck have you been?! Do you not realise how often you do this and leave me in the mud?!" Sarah screamed while understandably getting more emotional. 

"Shut up bitch, damn the place is quiet this morning that's what I like to see." Ryan smirked as he walked through the kitchen doors. 

Sarah went to chase Ryan into the kitchen but was stopped abruptly by Cuboyd's hand on her shoulder. 

"You finish your breakfast I'll handle this guy." Cuboyd smiled reassuringly. 

Sarah sat back down in her seat with her head in her hands. Cuboyd walked through the kitchen doors. Ryan was sifting through the booze cupboard as he opened a brand new bottle and sat down at a nearby work station. Cuboyd stared Ryan down intensively. 

"Who the fuck are you, who do you think you are and who the fuck are you looking at?" Ryan exclaimed, Cuboyd smiled. 

A few moments had passed and a scuffle ensued. Sarah could hear pots and pans being thrown around before hearing a resounding "ding" and a body collapsing to the floor. A nervy few moments passed before Cuboyd walked out the kitchen door with a cloth around his wrist. He sat back down at the booth and continued eating his ham omelette. He regained his composure before looking at Sarah and smiling. 

"I want to help you restore this place to the way your husband would have wanted it, but most importantly to the way you want it. I want to hire staff to help you get the sleep you need at night and I want to make your life a thousand times easier than what it is now because you can be the strongest woman on the planet but this shit will burn you out fast. Can I please do that at least?" Cuboyd respectfully enquired.

Sarah wasn't sure whether or not to be mortified or grateful. She was just coming out of her moment of shock before she looked at Cuboyd again. 

"Look you can tell me no, that's ok. But I am going to invest in a hotel somewhere around here and I would rather the money went to a hardworking soul like you rather than a fat greedy shit who makes enough of it and never worries about if anyone else's bed is comfortable but his own. I want to help you out here." Cuboyd once again reassured Sarah. 

"How is he?" Sarah asked, clearly distracted.

"How is who?" Cuboyd baited

"Ryan, how is he?" Sarah asked once more, with a little more demand in her voice.

"He'll be fine when he wakes up, the first thing he'll remember will be disrespecting you, that ain't happening here anymore. You don't deserve to be treated like that by someone who's as useful as a chocolate kettle." 

Sarah giggled at Cuboyd's comment before regaining her composure. 

"Ok yes let's do it. I have a million and one questions to ask you and I don't know where to begin." Sarah began to get overwhelmed.

"Let's start from the start. I will invest a big number into getting this place renovated. I own the Bricktown Boogey nightclub, maybe take a stroll by and see if you like any of the design? I'll have the same renovation team work on this place and I will cover these costs. We'll hire some staff, a few receptionists that can take shifts to cover all day and night. We'll hire kitchen staff and we'll organise a menu that you've always wanted. We'll get some cleaners in here all day and night too so you don't have to worry about that either. Anything else you can think of too, just say the word. I hope that answers most of the one million and one questions?" Cuboyd smirked.

"Yeah you covered a lot there, where do you get all this money from? Is it illegal?" Sarah quizzed.

"I'll level with you because I don't want to keep any secrets from you. Remember the club? The money for that wasn't legal, but every penny I put into your hotel will be legal cash from the clubs revenue so that's clean. Are you ok with that?" Cuboyd quizzed back.

"I mean I guess, what will happen to me if we get caught?" Sarah asked anxiously 

"You leave that to me, we ain't getting caught doing anything we ain't supposed to be doing. You have my word." Cuboyd reassured once more.

"Ok I'll do it, let's do it!" Sarah had heard enough, she didn't want anymore days like today to dread in the future. Luckily for her it was the last of they days.

A few days had passed since that morning from hell. Sarah instantly put up a notice on the front door the minute after agreeing:

Closed for renovations until further notice - re-opening again soon!

Cuboyd set up a lot of meetings for Sarah with some of his best contacts. The renovation team used for the nightclub were more than happy to return, especially for more brown envelopes. Sarah discussed her vision with them first off, so they got to work right away. One of the bar staff from Bricktown Boogey vouched for his sister who owned a local cleaning business. Sarah was so happy with the way the interview went with her, they hit it off straight away. The new cooking team were next. Sarah discussed with the head chef what kind of food she and her husband always wanted to serve, not just breakfast, but the full shebang. Three meals per day. 

The renovation team were just about done, nothing could get in between them and their brown envelope. Cuboyd met Sarah out front. She could not contain her excitement, immediately jumping from the cab she arrived in, into Cuboyd's arms as they embraced. 

"Listen, everyone's inside waiting on you to show you around. The renovation team will show you around the new rooms, the new staircase, the new reception, you ask anything they'll answer." Cuboyd said while handing her the keys. He pointed up to the brand new sign installed by the renovation team. It wouldn't have been fair to change the name. After all it had a ring to it:

Bricktown Boulevard Grand Hotel

Sarah couldn't believe her eyes, she teared up instantly and once again embraced Cuboyd. 

"Oh, and by the way, we've taken care of the advertisement. Your hotel will be advertised all around the city as the hottest spot money can by." Cuboyd gave one last grin before heading in with Sarah. The place looked stunning, marble pillars all around made the place spring with glamour. The dining area, kitchen, staircase, reception. Everything was done to Sarah's liking. Cuboyd would have done a few things different but hey, he's a people pleaser. The Bricktown Boulevard Grand Hotel was officially back open for business and this time it was better than ever.

Makima was in Detroit for important business, though the day had become long and grating. She decided she better find a hotel to spend the rest of the night, as it was already late and business had yet to finish. She was simply exhausted.

She looked up a list of hotels in the nearby area and found one with good ratings called "Bricktown Boulevard Grand Hotel", a whole five star rating, it must be nice! She called up the number on their advertisement and booked herself a room, the grandest one they had to which they quickly sorted out for her.

Ready to turn in for the night, Makima and her bodyguard's set off in a car parked outside until they arrived at the destination. Outside of the hotel looked beautiful, she was sure she was going to enjoy a comfortable night in here. Maybe even get a few drinks in too! Heading inside, her bodyguard's walked up to the desk to announce her arrival to the receptionist. She smiled, clutching her bag until they began to escorting her to her grand room for her to turn in.